General Tom Thumb

General Tom Thumb was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838-1883), a midget who achieved great fame under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.

Stratton was 4 years old, the son of a Bridgeport, Connecticut carpenter, when Barnum met him. He was 25 inches tall (his final height would be 33 inches) and weighed just 15 pounds at the time Barnum taught him to sing, dance and perform and made him an international celebrity with a tour of Europe. Stratton's marriage in February, 1863, to another midget, Lavinia Warren, was front-page news. They stood atop a grand piano in New York City's Grace Episcopal Church to greet some 2,000 guests.